Broken Glass
by Keeper of the Ravens
Summary: After a battle, Duo is near death. Soon Heero will be alone - but can Duo's cross be enough to save both of their lives as well as their faith? **Shounen-ai warning**
1. Part I

**Broken Glass**

WARNINGS: Allusion of **shounen-ai**.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

::grins nervously::  Okay, this is my first fanfic...be nice...and I warn you, there are many gaps in my knowledge about Gundam Wing.  I know the characters and the main plot, but that's about it.  ::shrugs hopelessly::  But angst is my specialty, and this is just a little something...

I am not claiming to be perfectly accurate about my info about the Gundams and their pilots and everything – don't own Gundam Wing, either.

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He cradled Duo's unresponsive form in tanned arms, holding the black-clad boy as close to him as possible.  He still gave no sign of being either dead or alive – not cold, only faintly warm, but there was no pulse in his neck, nor any beat of his heart.

The Deathscythe pilot couldn't be dead.  Not the talkative, cheery mask.  Not the pain-shredded interior.  Not the Duo Maxwell he had known for all these years.

It wasn't as if they had been friends all their lives – 'friendship' was hardly the word to describe it.  Heero's thoughts flashed back to their first painful meeting – then the time they had spent together during the war.

The Perfect Soldier felt his eyes begin to tear as he remembered all the things he never said – the times silence settle awkwardly over both of them as Duo trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished.  He remembered the glimpses of pain in the other's violet eyes when he went back to his laptop.  Ignoring him.  Shutting him out.

He remembered the moments when Duo would turn his head away, letting his bangs flop into his eyes as he hid his tears.

_I'm sorry, 02. _ All the times he could've added one little bit of sunshine to Duo's darkened dawn, thinking that the braided baka should know better by now to try and talk to him.  He turned out the lively American's never-ending stream of words.  The happy, carefree mask that covered the real Duo Maxwell hadn't cared – but sometimes the mask slipped.  He had seen shards of the hurt within – and it hadn't mattered to him.

He'd assumed the other pilot had dealt with his pain as he himself did.  But Duo had never been trained to be a perfect solder – he had never been forced to become an emotionless killing machine.  He was still Shinigami, but at the core of Shinigami was the soul of a human being.

He'd grown to love Duo Maxwell like the brother he'd never had – no.  More than a brother.  He hadn't realized the extent of his own feelings until it had been too late.  Too late to do anything.  Too late to tell Duo how much he meant to him.

The boy could be a complete baka at times, yes, but the love was still there.  It had been years they'd worked together, slowly accepting each other's habits and mannerisms until it was ingrained in their very bones.  Life without Duo would be empty.  He'd have to go back to his former, dull, almost mechanical attitude.

He didn't want to admit it, but Duo had forced him to accept human nature.  Heero Yuy was still the Perfect Soldier, but it was a perfection that contained human qualities.  Would that change now that Duo was as good as gone?  Would he become once again cold and unfeeling?

Duo was the only one to ever have cracked his icy exterior, shattered his glass armor.  And now Duo was dying – no vital signs.  He was becoming colder, cold as the ice that he himself had melted.

Heero knelt and laid his one-time partner on the snow-brushed ground.  He gently swept Duo's auburn hair away from his elfin face – and then he saw it.  The cross.  The white cross Duo had always worn.  It slid off of his neck and into the snow – the chain had broken somehow.

Heero stared dumbly at the spot where it had fallen for several moments, then dug it out of the snow, the fluffy substance turning to water and running down his hands in rivulets.  This was the symbol of Duo's religion – what he believed in above all else.  Maybe...maybe it could help.  He closed his right hand into a fist around the cross and held onto Duo's cold wrist.  If Duo Maxwell – the chatterbox, the joker – could believe, then so could Heero Yuy, the Perfect Solder.

_Please_, he thought.  _If there is anyone up there..._

Was there a higher being in the clouds, watching over Duo?

_He believes.  Why just let him go so easily?_

No answer.

_Gods, don't let him die...don't let him die... _ This was what Duo had called 'praying' – he said someone was supposed to be listening.

And still there was silence.

He twisted the links in the chain back together and fastened the cross back around the auburn-haired pilot's neck.  "Duo...don't leave me..."

And then there was light.

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Well, if there's anyone reading this right now who likes it...drop a review, please!!!


	2. Part II

**Broken Glass**

WARNINGS: Allusion of **shounen-ai**.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  Rated PG-13 for future violence.

Don't own Gundam Wing...  ::whistles innocently::  I mean, I may be maliciously mauling the characters, but they still don't belong to me!

Thanks to Nelia, Krnji, Kanaloas Wrath, and matts girl for reviewing!!  Luv ya!!

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He shifted Duo so that he could shield his eyes with his right hand – the white light was harsh and piercing, and...

It was a car.

A car.

Heero began to thank Duo's God.

"You've had it rough here, ne, 'Perfect Soldier?'"

Heero blinked away the spots dancing in front of his eyes to see the face of Quatre Raberba Winner.  "Hn," was his only reply.

"What happened to Maxwell?"  That was Wufei, onyx eyes narrowed in what was either annoyance or concern.  Most likely both.  "What has he done to himself this time?"

Heero was compelled to retort with another 'Hn,' but found himself explaining instead.  "It was a mission, 05.  On missions those who do not take care will get _injured_ or possibly _killed_."  He glanced meaningfully around at the others.  "Duo's condition is critical.  I am not sure if he will live or die."  In his head he was chanting, over and over again, _Let him live.  Let him live.  Let him live._

"We've got to get him to a hospital," said Quatre worriedly.

"Hn," agreed Heero, though inside he was mumbling, _But Duo hates hospitals..._

*****

The first thing out of Duo's mouth when he opened his eyes had been, "How long till I can get out of this place?"

...to which Heero had answered, "Two days at most."

Duo, surprised at actually being answered instead of being treated to yet another 'Hn,' blinked profusely and then said, almost fearfully, "It's not like I'm injured seriously or anything – "

"Two cracked ribs, sprained angle, broken arm, twisted index finger..."

Duo grinned good-naturedly, though it looked painful.  "I was wondering why I'm covered with bandages."

"Hn," Heero grunted, features emotionless.

Duo's face fell, and he turned his gaze down to the spotless white sheets.  The fingers of his good hand were twisting the edge of the fabric.  Heero couldn't help but notice that the American's arms were nearly as pale as the bedsheets themselves.  But he kept his worries to himself.

Duo sighed and fingered the end of his braid.  It was nowhere as neat as it normally was, frizzy near the top, with stray hanks of hair pulled out at odd intervals.  Heero watched the other pilot through slitted eyes as he gingerly leaned over the side of the hospital bed and produced a hairbrush from his small duffel bag.  Trowa had brought it from the safehouse, then taken Wufei and Quatre back to await their return.  Heero had been designated as the one to stay with Duo until he could be released.

Duo began to rake his fingers through his hair, effectively undoing the braid [A/N: It may be hard to picture this if you've never had long hair and worn it in a braid.  See, you'd take about ten years to untwist it, so you sort of pull it apart at the center with your fingers.]  He attempted to brush his unkempt hair left-handed; he ended up dropping the brush, as his left index finger was still bandaged.  It skittered away across the floor, stopping right in front of Heero's chair.

Duo opened his mouth – probably to ask Heero to pick it up – but closed it again when Heero closed the space between them in three long strides, holding the brush.  "Turn around," he instructed quietly.  Duo complied.  Heero undid the rest of the braid, then tentatively, gently began to stroke the brush through Duo's messy hair.  Duo stiffened slightly, unused to Heero doing anything gentle.  But his touch was soft, and the other pilot gradually relaxed and closed his eyes.  Heero, not wanting to jolt Duo out of his newfound sense of security, sat down slowly next to him.

Usually Duo was nervous around the Perfect Soldier – it wasn't that obvious, as he talked endlessly to hide his fear.  It was only another part of his façade.

Heero concentrated on running the brush down through Duo's now-shining hair, then, unexpectedly, hit a snarl.  Duo flinched as his head was jerked backwards.

Heero stopped, unsure, and put down the brush.  "I'm sorry," he mumbled.  After a moment of silence, Duo nodded shakily – his mask was glass once more, crystal clear.  There were fractures in the fragile material, marks that foreshadowed a final shattering...

Heero once again wondered why Duo had chosen a laughing front to hide his inner turmoil.  It was only times like this when the glass became truly transparent, truly see-through.

Heero undid the snarl with callused fingers, as gently as it was possible to be.  After giving it a final stroke with the brush, he separated the silky auburn strands into three sections...and began to braid.

Duo's hair smelled of vanilla, Heero reflected. Probably the shampoo he had used to use.

He realized he'd nearly finished when Duo handed him a black rubber band and said, "Where'd you learn to braid hair?"

"From watching you."

The cheery, laughing Duo – the mask – was back now.  He raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, really?  I didn't know I was being spied on."  He chuckled good-naturedly.

"Hn," Heero said.

"Yeah, now you've used up your daily quota of words, haven't you?"

"Hn."

A comfortable silence descended over the room.

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Aaaaw...Heero and Duo make such a cuuuute couple!!  ^.^V  1+2 rulez!!

Review please!!


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